The High Court on Tuesday asked the Anti-Corruption Commission chairman to report to the court the progress of probes into the reported disproportionate properties of former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, his wife and their two daughters in two months.
The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadoth Hossain issued the directive after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Salah Uddin Regan.
The court, however, refused to issue a ruling on the commission to explain why its failure to hold an inquiry immediately after publication of the allegations of amassing enormous assets by Benazir, his wife Zeeshan Mirza and their daughters Farhin Rishta Binte Benazir and Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir in a national daily newspaper on March 31.
鈥楾here is no necessity for issuing a rule as the commission constituted a committee on March 21 to probe the allegations,鈥� the court said.
The High Court, however, kept the writ petition pending, stating that the matter could be mentioned to the court for passing a further order when the commission would file the progress report.
Sala Uddin鈥檚 lawyer Sarwar Hossain argued that Benazir鈥檚 case should be remained under the supervision of the judiciary so that the commission could not gave clean chit to Benazir, his wife and two daughters like 10,000 other complaints of corruption that were submitted to the anti-graft body.聽聽聽聽
Senior lawyers Shah Monjurul Haque and Sayeed Ahmed Raza, both ruling Awami League-leaning lawyers, appearing for Benazir vehemently opposed to pass such an order, stating that the probe would be hampered as investigators remain in fear if the court interferes with the issue.
The court advised Benazir鈥檚 lawyers, stating that every lawyer should work to free the country from corruption and money laundering in the interest of the state.
The court said that there should be a law as it was in neighbouring India making it mandatory for the public servants to declare their assets at the time of joining in the service and during their retirement.聽
鈥業n India having an increase of 10 per cent assets of a retired public servant in possession compared to assets at the time of joining in the service is deemed a publishable offence,鈥� the court observed.
The court told Benazir鈥檚 lawyers that a similar law should be passed in Bangladesh to determine the proportion of assets of public servants.
鈥榃e have an Anti-Corruption Commission to look into corruption of public servants but it cannot discharge their duties sometimes for various reasons,鈥� the court said.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appearing for the ACC argued that there was no cause of action arose to issue a court ruling as it started probe into reported allegations against Benazir, his wife and daughters.聽聽聽
Another lawyer Manoj Kumar Bhowmick told the High Court that the commission at a press briefing on Monday announced that it started the probe against Benazir, two days after a writ petition filed seeking the probe order.聽聽聽聽
Earlier on April 21, lawyer Syed Sayedul Haque Suman, an independent lawmaker from the Habiganj-4 constituency, also sought legal action against Benazir Ahmed, his wife and their daughters.聽聽聽
The complaint was submitted to the commission, the day after Benazir through a video message on Facebook on April 20 defended himself against the reports on him and his family members, stating that the reports published in newspapers recently are false, distorted and intentional.
The series of reports of a huge amount of illegal assets belonging to his wife and daughters triggered huge criticism.
The reports mentioned a lavish lifestyle of Benazir Ahmed, who also served as the director general of the Rapid Action Battalion from January 2015 to April 2020 before he was promoted to the post of IGP on April 15, 2020, and his holdings of shares in different companies.
